The reference photo for Morning Routine was taken in a little in a town near Barcelona on the last day of a trip with some painting friends. During breakfast, we noticed this gentleman pouring over his newspaper—momentarily uninterested in his pastry and coffee. It was clear that this was a part of his daily practice and I loved the composition with the tiles in the background. When I begin planning a figurative painting, I always think about what it is I’m trying to convey and what my biggest challenges are going to be. With Morning Routine - it was obvious to me that I needed to get across the man’s intense engagement with his reading material.